Thermal and viscoelastic behaviour of graphene nanoplatelets/flax fibre/epoxy composites

The aim of this investigation is to enhance the thermal and viscoelastic performance of flax strengthened epoxy with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP). GNP was incorporated at various weight percentages with epoxy resin. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studies revealed a uniform and well-dispersed GNP with a few agglomerations and voids. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) were used to evaluate the thermal degradation and viscoelastic properties. The flax strengthened epoxy with 0.1 wt-% GNP witnessed a 17% increase in initial degradation temperature and a 48% increase in char residue. Observations from the DSC revealed that GNP functioned as a thermal barrier due to its strong influence on the glass transition and crystallisation temperature of composites. The DMA findings indicated that the storage and loss modulus of GNP/flax strengthened epoxy increased by 18% and 25%, respectively.